On the ball: Nguyen Minh Triet of Becamex Binh Duong (right) and
Nguyen Van Nghia of Dong Thap Rubber Group in the final match of the first
round of the V-League. The top-flight league will have 16 teams operating as
fully functional businesses by 2015. (Photo: VNS)

Vien, who designed the professional football system in Viet Nam in 2001, said teams would have three years to prepare for the new V-League in 2015.

Currently, the V-League has 14 teams that operate as profit-making businesses, but that figure will increase to 16 with two teams promoted from the First Division, so the decision will effect the lower leagues too.

"All Vietnamese clubs must be profitable business organisations by 2013 before they participate in the national football league in 2015," Vien said at a meeting in Ha Noi on Thursday.

"It's because the Asian Football Confederation requires Vietnamese clubs to restructure in order to effectively promote the professionalism of the country's league. Viet Nam has until the end of 2013 to fulfil the AFC requirements," Vien said.

Two years ago, a number of V-League clubs had to pull out of the AFC Champions League because they had failed to turn professional.

The VFF also required teams to concentrate on youth academies over the next four years.

"Each V-League club must build an U-21, U-19, U-17 and U-15 team in order to compete in national youth football tournaments by 2015, and financially unsound teams will be relegated immediately," the federation's vice chairman said.

V-League to be broadcast live next year

Cable TV provider Audio Vision Global will broadcast matches from the V-League - the national football championship - without charge next year.

AVG won a 20-year contract with the Viet Nam Football Federation last December to broadcast V-League matches and said 20 local television stations had reached agreements concerning V-League broadcasting rights.

Last year 177 V-League games and 144 first-division matches were broadcast live on local television.

The V-League season will kick off on January 1 and close in July.

He also stressed that top flight teams should pay players a minimum of US$750 each per month.

Vien added that V-League teams would have to develop their stadiums to conform with international standards in the next two years, include dope testing facilities, seating, security cameras and turf.

Speaking at the meeting, the national team coach German Falko Goetz also said the VFF should limit the number foreign players that teams were allowed to field, and promote youth academies.

"Each V-League team should include at least two players aged 21 or younger in the main squad. If the VFF limits the number of foreign players, domestic youngsters will get more chances to play," Goetz said.

V-League teams are allowed to have four foreign players on their books, but only three can be on the field at any one given time.